HUMBLING OURSELVES BEFORE THE LORD
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land – 2 Chronicles 7:14
In our previous article, we stated that three steps are required for the activation of healing in our land. Step 1 is to humble ourselves; step 2 is to pray and seek God’s face, and step 3 is to turn from our wicked ways. We said that these three steps are a continuous process in the life of the born-again believer.
This article will examine ways in which we can humble ourselves before the Lord, which is the first instruction of the bible verse. Why do we need to humble ourselves before the Lord? Because His word says, “…God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” – James 4 vs 6.
Ways to humble ourselves include:
- Introspection, confession and repentance
Pride is the opposite of humility. Pride prevents us from admitting our wrongs. But when we do the opposite by confessing them to God and repenting of them, we display humility.
Introspection should be a part of the life of any born-again believer, Lamentations 3 vs 40 – Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. Please note that I’ve used the word Introspection and not self-criticism. We should routinely examine our lives to ensure that we don’t harbour things that displease God.
These things can include bad habits, sinful acts we’ve committed; times we’ve been disobedient to the Lord; or even certain persistent feelings such as resentment, anger, hatred, jealousy, etc. If these sins are present in our lives, we need to confess them before the Lord and repent of them. 1 John 1 vs 8 and 9 – If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Confession of our sins to one another
James 5 vs 16 – Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The confession of our sins to one another is a biblical concept according to James 5 vs 16. This is a difficult act but also one that displays great humility as pride prevents us from admitting our wrongs especially before others. Pride makes us want to look good, respectable and righteous to others but when we set this aside, we display humility. If we go this route, we need to find someone who is born-again, mature, and trustworthy.
Proverbs 28 vs 13 – He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. When sin is hidden, it holds power over us, preventing us from receiving breakthrough or victory. But once a sin is confessed and exposed, it will lose its power over us.
- Apologise to those we’ve wronged
Pride says, “I am right”, “My way or the highway”. But humility is displayed when we are willing to admit that we are wrong and apologise.
- Forgiving those who have wronged us
Colossians 3 vs 13 – Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Forgiveness means to let go of the resentment, anger or bitterness that we feel towards someone for the hurt, pain or loss that they have caused us; regardless of whether, or not, they apologise or compensate us for that hurt, pain or loss. The perfect demonstration of this is Jesus. When He hung on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” – Luke 23 vs 34.
Those who crucified Jesus were in the wrong because He was innocent and yet He forgave them. Pride demands apology, compensation or justice and often causes us to hold grudges as it focuses on self – our hurt, our pain, our need for justice. But forgiveness is an act of humility because we submit to God when we obey His instruction to forgive – forgive as the Lord forgave you (refer above). Submitting to God is an act of humility.
- Accepting correction from others
Proverbs 10 vs 17 – People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray. Humility is displayed when we graciously accept correction from our brethren instead of taking offense.
- Fasting
Psalm 69 vs 10 – When I wept and humbled myself with fasting…
We are often governed by our souls and tend to focus on our wants and needs for example the want and need for food. Fasting demonstrates humility as it is an act of setting aside our wants and needs to spend time with the Lord. That is also why fasting is accompanied by prayer.
The above are only six ways in which to humble ourselves before the Lord. Let us ask for revelation on further ways in which we can humble ourselves before Him. Remember, humbling ourselves before the Lord is a continuous process. Humility is an attitude that is developed. In our next article, we will examine the concept of prayer and seeking God’s face.